And I didn’t argue.
CHAPTER FOUR
Bridger
I needed to get the hell away from her.
The kiss had nearly broken me. Her hands fisted in my shirt. Her body pressed against mine. The taste of her still on my tongue.
If I stayed next to her another five minutes, I was going to have her against the nearest wall.
What you find… you keep.
That would be my rule number one I realized.
If I was doing that. Which apparently, I was, because I already needed a second rule.
Rule #2: Get the hell away from her before you do something stupid.
“I need to check on something,” I said, already backing down the sidewalk. “I’ve got a delivery coming.”
She blinked at me, lips swollen from my kiss. “Right now?”
“Yeah. Right now.” That was a lie, but I couldn’t help myself. I needed to leave.
“Okay.” She tucked that errant strand of hair behind her ear—that small, unconscious gesture that did things to me. “I’ll just... explore the house. If that’s okay.”
“Make yourself at home.”
I escaped before I could change my mind.
The walk to my workshop—a separate building about fifty yards from the house—was a forced march.
The delivery wasn’t actually due for another hour. Most of the wood I used for my sculptures was basically large tree trunks and came from a logging company run by six bothers. McAllister’s Logging. They kept a look out for potential pieces for me. One of the brothers had called me a week ago and said he had something. They’d found a large black walnut growing in a stand of oaks. As soon as I saw it, I knew what I’d carve. An eagle, wings spread as if it were about to fly off.
I let myself into the workshop and breathed in the familiar smell of fresh cut wood. This space was mine. Quiet. Safe. The one place in my entire property where Roxie hadn’t been.
Yet.
Visions of her sitting on my work bench, watching me work as she had today took over the part of my brain that was still only half functioning after that kiss. I kept seeing her face when she’d kissed me. The way her eyes had gone dark. The little sound she’d made when I deepened the kiss.
Rule #3: Don’t think about her while operating power tools.
Hell, I’d broken that rule before I even made it. That was all I’d done today while working on the bear today, trying to ignore her and failing miserably.
But then I had been thinking about her constantly since I’d looked up and seen her standing there with my uncle. She’d looked calm despite her situation. And so damn beautiful, I’d wanted to reach out and kiss her.
The sound of the delivery truck pulled me away from those thoughts, but I knew they’d be back. With a vengeance.
I helped unload the tree trunk. About ten feet long, almost four feet in diameter. I spent an hour just running my hands over it, examining the grain, planning my cuts. It was the kind of work that usually calmed me down.
Not today.
Today, every minute that ticked by, I was aware of exactly where she was. Probably in my kitchen. Or my living room. Or upstairs in the guest room.
Or maybe she was looking for me.
Stop.